Wire drawing machine



June 14, 1960 J. H. TORRES 2,940,588

WIRE DRAWING MACHINE Filed Nov. 22, 1957 INVENTOR JOSEPH H. TORRES ATTORNEY FIG. 3

United States Patent ofiice Patented June 14, 1960 WIRE DRAWING MACHINE Joseph H. Torres, Lancaster, Pa., assignor to Hamilton Watch Company, Lancaster, Pin, a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Nov. 22, 1951, Ser. No. 698,259

3 Claims. Cl. 205-16) This invention relates to a machine for drawing and spooling fine wire.

In the making of exceedingly fine wire in the nature of .0006" diameter, there are numeral difiiculties in the drawing and spooling which are encountered entirely because of the size of the wire. The tendency of the wire to break and to stretch unevenly is greatly enhanced as it is reduced in diameter. The encountering of the slightest flaw which was present in the original ingot and which has been rolled and drawn until the flaw itself while minute in ordinary wire bccomesxequal in diameter to the diameter of the wire. Apparatus which is perfectly satisfactory for the drawing of wire of larger diameter becomes completely useless unless certain modifications are made when the wire drawn is of the very small 1diameter'type.

The object of the present invention is to produce a piece of mechanism which will draw wire to a diameter of .0006" and at the same time spool the wire so that it can be used directly on core winding machines.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a spooling mechanism in which the spool is driven through friction so that should the pull on the wire be greater than that calculated, the friction drive would fail to drive the spool thus saving a breakage in the wire.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a drawing die holder which will yield in a direction to the drawing by the amount of a calculated sprm g pressure.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a magnetic type drive on the winding spool so that when the tension on the wire being spooled exceeds that of the magnetic strength tending to drive the spool, the drive connection will fail and the wire is saved from breakage.

The invention is shown in the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of the entire assembly.

Figure 2 is a detailed view of the spool and the friction drive, partly in cross-section.

Figure 3 is a modification showing a magnetic drive which can be used in place of the friction drive.

The drawing shows a mechanism mounted on a base 8 and comprises an electric motor 10 driving a shaft 12 through reduction gearing 14. The shaft 12 has mounted thereon a pulley 16 and a pulley 18 to respectively drive pulleys 20 and a pulley which is not shown but which operates an oil pump 22.

The pulley 20 is mounted on and drives shaft 24 which turns in standards 26 and carries at one end a pulley 28 and at the other end, has loosely mounted thereon a winding spool 30. The pulley 28 drives, through a belt 32 the pulley 34, shaft 36, pulley 38 and belt 40. The belt 40 connected to a reduction gear box (not shown) drives beveled gear 42, 44, shaft 46 and cam 48. A cam follower 50 mounted in a transversely movable die 2 support 52 closely engages the surface of the cam and slowly moves the die support 52 in a reciprocating motion which is normal to the travel of the wire 54.

A standard 56 mounted at one end of the base supports a shaft 58 on which is mounted a spool of wire 60. The wire 54 is drawn from the spool 60 and passes through a die 62 which is loosely mounted in a die carrying block 64. The die supports 50 and 52 have rods 66 extending at right angles therefrom and supporting a back plate 68 which in turn serves as a support for rods 70 which are also mounted in the die supports 50 and 52. Mounted for sliding movement on the rods 70 is the die block 64 which is urged towards the die support by springs 72 carried on the rod 70. The springs allow the die block to move with the pull of the wire which prevents breaking the wire when a hard pull occurs.

The pump 22 delivers oil through tubing 74 to the die 62 which oil is caught in a trough 76 and'delivered to a tank 78 and returned to the pump 22 by a return tube 80. It will thus be seen that a fresh supply of flowing oil is delivered at all times to the die at the point at which the wire is passing, even though the die block 64. may be moved by the cam 48 and/or the springs 72. Inasmuch as the tube 74 is-fiexible and is mounted on a flexible standard 82 by fastening the end of the tube of movement and flexibility of the tube from the support- 82 topermit the oil to be delivered at-all times to the die: .;;The spool 30 on which the-wire is .woundis, loosely mounted on the shaft 24, the that ends 84 of the spool 30 frictionally engaging the surface of a bearing 86 and a washer 88. The shaft 24 is threaded at 90 and a nut 92 urges a spring 94 into engagement with one side of the washer 88. The other side of the washer engages an end 84 of the spool 30. It is therefore possible by turning the nut 92, to vary the frictional engagement between the plate 88 and the end of the spool 84 so that the spool 84 may be driven with just suificient force to wind the wire 54 on the spool provided that the drawing is free and easy. In using the apparatus the spool 60 filled with wire is placed on the spindle 58 and the wire thread through the die 62 and on to the spool 30. The motor 10 then drives the spool 30 through the friction drive at sufficient speed to pull the wire through the die without rupture or undue stress. Springs 72 back of the wire take up anyirregularities in the wire and give under the pull of the wire, so that the die is to a certain extent resiliently mounted. The cam 48 moves the die support 52 normal to the path of the wire and so that the wire will feed on the spool 30 to provide even winding. At all'times during the operation of the drawing the pump 22 delivers oil through the hose 74 to the die 62. The friction drive shown in Figure 2 prevents undue strain being put on the wire 54 so that should the die hold up the wire due to imperfections in the wire, the drive furnished by the spool 30 will slip at the point between the washer 88 and the end of the spool 84 to prevent breaking the wire.

The modified form of drive shown in Figure 3 uses a third supporting post which is located in line with the shaft 24 and beyond the supporting post 26. Connected to the end of the shaft 24 is an iron plate 102 which forms the end of the shaft 24. A stub shaft 104 is journaled in the upright 100 and supports a winding spool 106 at one end, while the other end is threaded at 108 to receive a disc 110 carrying magnets 112. The disc may be adjusted on the threaded end of the shaft 104 to vary the distance between the magnets 112 and the plate 102 and to be securely locked in place by nut 114. The torque delivered to the winding spool 106 may be varied by varying the distance between the magnets be considered in all respects as illustrative andnot're strictive, the's'cope of the invention being indicatedby the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all'ohanges which come within the meaning" and range of equivalency of the claims are 7 therefore in tended to be embraced therein.

that'the ull on the wire 54 holding assembly constantly engaging said die-said spring means permitting reciprocatory movement of the die in the direction the wire is moving when the frictional re- I What is claimed and desired to be secured by United I 7 States Letters Patent is: I

' 1. In-a' wire' drawing machine having a source of spooled wire, a wire receiving spooL'means for friction ally driving said receiving spool, a-die holding assembly mounted for'reciprocation' in a -plane normal to the longitudinal axis of said wire, a die supported by said die holding assembly and threaded'on said wire, and spring means carried by said die holding assembly constantly engaging said die, said spring means permitting reciproca'tory movement of the die in the direction the wire is mov-' ing when the frictional'resistance at the die is greater than the frictional force driving said receiving spool,

2." In a wire drawing machine having a source of spooled wire, a wire receiving spool, means for frictionally' driving said receiving spool, a die holding as-' sembly' mounted for reciprocation in a plane normal to the longitudinal axis of said wire, a die supported by die holding assembly and threaded on said wire, cam

engaging said die holding assembly to impart reciproeatory movement thereto normal to the longitudinal of said wire, and spring means carried by said-die sistance at the die is greater than the frictional force,

driving said receiving spool. c

3. In a wire drawing machine having a source of spooled wire, a wire receiving spool, a magnetic drive for rotating said receivingspooka die holding assembly mounted for reciprocation in a planenormal to the longitudinal axis of said wire, a die-supported by said die holding assembly. and threaded on said wire; cam means.

engaging said wire holding assembly to impart reciprocatory motion thereto normal to the longitndinal axis' of said wire, andspring means. carried by said die holding assembly constantly engaging said die, said spring means permitting reciprocatory movement of the die in the direction the wire is moving when the frictional resistance at the die exceeds the magnetic driving force.

References Cited in 't he file'of this patent 1 UNITED STATES PATENTS 

